Hello there! I'm in a bit of a pickle and would love some input from all of you BP.netters. My first and longly anticipated clutch of Ball Python eggs is on day 54; the clutch was incubated at ~88 degrees. Starting on the 10th, day 62, I'm going to be away for 4 days.

I'm on the fence about whether to cut the eggs on Friday (day 56), or wait until the first one pips, hopefully before day 62. My thought is that if I cut on day 56, I could at least keep an eye on the eggs for about a week and troubleshoot any issues that may or may not arise. The problem is that 88 degrees is a little on the low side, and day 56 is a bit early to cut at that temperature. As this is my first ball clutch, I also have zero experience cutting eggs (though I'm honestly not worried about it). It's my hope that cutting on day 56 would mean the snakes are out by the time I leave. I should also note here that some of the eggs are pretty darn dimpled, one in particular that started deflating about a week and a half ago is almost alarmingly so.

Not cutting could mean one of two things. Either the eggs don't pip by the time I leave and I'm not sure of the status of the eggs (i.e. if there are any remediable problems with them), or they do and I cut the rest of the clutch. This worries me because, again, I won't be able to troubleshoot any issues with the freshly cut eggs. It seems preferable to me, however, to allow the snakes the time to pip on their own. I'd rather be confident that they are fully developed and ready to exit their eggs before cutting into them.

So after that long winded spiel, the question is--to cut, or not to cut? I know ultimately it is my decision, but I'd love to get some opinions either way. I'll throw up a poll, but any further insight on why you chose what you did would be very appreciated. Thanks for your time and input guys and gals!

Cheers,
-Matt